Departure boards at a major Midland railway station are still showing a service that has not run since January.

The four timetabled direct Shrewsbury to Walsall trains fell victim to an emergency timetable introduced by operator Central Train at the turn of the year in response to a union overtime ban.

The services are not due to be reintroduced until June 11 but both the National Rail Enquiries hotline and website still show the service as being available, as do the departure screens at Shrewsbury.

One passenger, Margaret Thorne of Shrewsbury, was astonished to discover staff at her local station did not know the train had been stopped.

"I phoned the National Rail Enquiries line and was told that there was a direct Shrewsbury to Walsall train at 8.33 in the morning, getting in at 9.38.

"When I got to the station, the boards were showing the train but I waited and waited and then a train for Birmingham New Street arrived.

"I asked the driver and he said the Walsall train did not run anymore. I then spoke to the station staff and was told it did.

"I was then told to catch a train to Wolverhampton where I could catch a Walsall train. However, what they didn't tell me was buses have replaced that service too."

Mrs Thorne eventually arrived, by bus, in Walsall at 10.35.

She added: "In the end it took me over two hours, by bus and train with plenty of confusion, to make a journey that would be 45 minutes in the car.

"Why anyone would want to use the train in these circumstances is beyond me."

A spokesman for Central Trains apologised for the confusion and said the correct information would be uploaded to the rail network's central timetabling computer - which provides both stations and National Rail Enquiries with departure information.

"We can only apologise," he said. "It is a bit of a mystery why the incorrect information is still being given out."